Report: Suspect in New Delhi attack was in contact with Iran

JTA

JERUSALEM — The journalist arrested in connection with an attack on an Israeli Embassy car in New Delhi reportedly was in touch with an Iranian intelligence officer and visited Iran before the attack.

New Delhi Police will announce the breakthrough in the case in the coming days, the Economic Times newspaper reported, citing sources “in the security establishment.”

Indian journalist Syed Mohammed Kazmi was arrested last week in connection with the Feb. 13 attack.

Tal Yehoshua Koren, the wife of a diplomat stationed with the Israeli Defense Ministry mission in India, was injured when a bomb exploded on the back of the diplomat’s car in which she was riding. The same day, a car bomb was discovered on a diplomat’s car in Tbilisi, Georgia..

A police investigation showed that Kazmi had been in contact with the man who police believe stuck the bomb on the car in New Delhi while riding by on a motorcycle. The man remains at large.

The attack came the day after the fourth anniversary of the assassination of the operational chief of Hezbollah, Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed Feb. 12, 2008 in Damascus by a car bomb. Hezbollah blames his killing on Israel. Israeli embassies and other missions had been on high alert in advance of the anniversary.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Iran of being behind the attacks.

Indian security services also said they have found evidence tying the Delhi attack to the attempted attacks against Israeli targets in Bangkok and Tbilisi, Haaretz reported. 

Israel’s national security adviser, Yaakov Amidror, met Monday with Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram in New Delhi for an update on the investigation. The officials did not comment after the meeting, according to reports.